Monday, June 1, 2009

Anonymity as a WoW Blogger

Everyone seems to be blogging about a certain scandal about a certain paladin blogger. I'll give you a hint - it's not me. I'm going to assume everyone knows what I am talking about as it is the talk of the WoW blogosphere right now. I am not going to pass judgment or talk about the scandal.

Instead, I want to talk about how I present myself on the internet.

As all of my precious readers know, I am basically anonymous on this blog. I really don't think I've slipped up much or dropped many hints at all as to the name of my WoW character, server or guild. I really really strive to be anonymous. This is in direct opposition to all other WoW blogs I have encountered so far.

Why is it important that WoW bloggers identify themselves and present themselves honestly? Is there a stigma to being anonymous?

I find there to be much more benefit being an anonymous blogger compared to being out there in the open. Though there are drawbacks to both methods of course.

I. Advantages of Anonymous Blogging

No trolls can find you on your server

You can speak honestly without retribution from people that may follow you on your server and know exactly who or what you are speaking about, thus avoiding e-drama

Your real life information will be harder to discover unless you, yourself, volunteer said information

You will not be subject to "lol @ your arena" or "lol @ your gear" comments people tend to get when they post on their mains in the WoW forums

II. Disadvantages of Anonymous Blogging

Anonymous or not, there will be trolls or disrespectful fools

People may think you are talking out your ass - "post on your main" syndrome

You have to be careful and censor yourself or you might drop too many clues

You can't tell your friends about your blog unless you really trust them

I guess this is my choice to make and I hope all of you respect my need for anonymity even if you disagree with the reasons for it. So far, I've been pretty happy about my choice and maybe in the future I may reveal myself but I don't think that is likely.

I think what you're doing is fine. You're up front in how much identity you want to share with everyone, and don't misrepresent about what you do show (unless you're going to reveal there are 7 HPs running around, haha).